The present state of the art in multi-layer substrates is to sandwich a conventional rectangular stripline between two substrate layers, which are generally dielectric layers.
Each substrate layer has an associated loss tangent, which indicates the amount of signal loss due to the dielectric effects of the substrate layers that are adjacent to the stripline. At high bit rates or high signal frequencies, the effect of the loss tangent increases, thereby causing more loss. An additional problem inherent in the prior art results from a phenomenon known as “skin effect”. When current is passed through a conductor, the current tends toward the outside of the conductor thereby creating an outer skin of current. The cross-sectional area of the skin is less than the cross-sectional area of the conductor, thereby creating additional losses. The skin effect worsens as the frequency of the transmitted signal increases as shown by the following equation:skin depth=1/✓(fτσμ)  (1)where f is equal to signal frequency, σ is equal to the electrical conductivity of the conductor or signal track and μ is equal to the permeability of the conductor or signal track. Accordingly, higher data rates lead to smaller skin depth, which in turn leads to higher losses.
An additional problem in the prior art has been the existence of crosstalk, which is a category of noise induced primarily by the electromagnetic coupling between signal lines. In printed wiring boards, crosstalk can occur by the electrical coupling between nearby conductors in a given layer. Crosstalk increases with longer track coupling distances and smaller separation between tracks. Furthermore, crosstalk becomes a greater problem at higher frequencies. The problems associated with crosstalk are fully discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/443,128, filed Nov. 18, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,922, issued Sep. 3, 2002, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The aforementioned application discloses the use of Embedded shielded stripline (ESS) technology.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a technique for improving signal reach and signal integrity during signal transmission at high bit rates or high signal frequencies which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings. More particularly, it would be desirable to minimize the losses due to non-uniform current distribution and high dielectric loss tangents. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a technique for manufacturing a multi-layer substrate for improving signal reach and signal integrity in an efficient and cost effective manner.